The Spell That Caused A Spark
by SalteyJam
Summary: Sophie is a young witch who studies potions that can cure any ailment. Howl is a wizard who is renowned for his untrustworthy business deals. When Howl finds himself in a compromising position, Sophie could be his cure.
1. A Coincidental Meeting

**Hiii here's a bit about the setting of the story! Witches and Wizards are more accepted in their society, but they are still rare. There are different specialties of magic; Sophie is specifically potions which she uses to help people, although they have the power to be used for evil O.o**

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Sophie let out a small sigh as she placed down the glass flask onto her workbench. She stared at the pot plants lining the window of her bench, each containing a different herb that could be combined with a few other ingredients to create something new. Pot plants hung from the ceiling boards and papers lay all about the shop. A black pot simmers in the fireplace. Sophie loved her parents shop and following their legacy, yet at times she finds herself growing tiresome of the same routine day in and day out. She attempted to focus on her work but when she felt herself drift away into her fantasy of being in some otherworldly place, she gave no resistance; imagining a life in which she truly belonged, where she was worth something, as if she were the most precious jewel anyone could find-no, wait- the most amazing potion in the world! Sighing once again, Sophie shook her head in an attempt to lecture herself for slacking off when there was work to be done. She intently scanned her eyes across the faded scripture of her mother's handwriting in her black notebook. The ink had slowly faded in some areas, leaving behind the rough brown paper that lay beneath it, rather than the secret to reviving a plant. Sophie's finger slid down the page as she searched for the ingredient she was missing, but it was to no avail. She would have to attempt a trial and error method. This was going to take longer than she had expected.

Suddenly Sophie was pulled away from her focus on the notebook when she heard the dinging of the bell from the door to her shop. Rising to meet her customer, Sophie picked up her latest masterpiece.

"Good day, Sophie" a middle-aged mother gave a slight smile. She had wrinkles made of worry and her shoulders were bent with burden.

"Good day, madam" Sophie returned, "I have what you requested", she handed her the completed potion that would alleviate her pain and reduce her overall stress, due to the aroma.

"Oh, thank you Sophie! You truly are wonderful, I don't know what I would do without you" she gave Sophie's hand a squeeze, "I just pray that you don't become like poor Mr. Jones", she gave a grim turn of her head from side to side.

"Whatever do you mean?" Sophie questioned.

"You haven't heard? Mr. Jones is out of business! Poor, poor man", once again she shook her head, "I heard he made a deal with that Mr. 'Howl', like making a deal with the devil it is! Good heavens, my dear Sophie, whatever you do, avoid that man at all costs" she shook her head one last time, "I'd best be leaving now dear, farewell" she nodded her head and turned as Sophie showed her out.

"Farewell madam, safe travels with you" Sophie held the door open as her customer left and couldn't help but notice the sign across the street stating _"CLOSED"_ and another that simply said _"OUT OF BUSINESS"_. Wooden planks boarded up the windows so that no one would break into the store, and some lay spread out across the ground. Mr. Jones was nowhere to be seen.

Once Sophie had re-entered her own, secretly threatened shop, she glanced at the clock and was shocked to notice that it had become 11:00 AM in the space of what felt like two minutes-she was supposed to meet Lettie right now! She grabbed her hat and her bag as she turned her _'OPEN'_ sign to _'CLOSED'_ and fled her potion shop, rushing down the cobblestone street, dodging the men in suits, the women in fancy frocks, the cars rattling by in every direction, and finally, she made it to the quieter part of town where she could take the back pathways that lead to Lettie's bakery. The bustle of the main roads was now just a murmur in the background and all Sophie could hear clearly were the quick tapping of her brown boots on the ground as she rushed down the path.

She arrived at the always-busy bakery and ducked past the crowd of men coercing the ladies for their undivided attention. She scanned the workers for her sister and spotted her at the end of the counter. Sophie frowned. Lettie was being pursued by another good-looking man. Sophie watched as Lettie giggled at a remark from the man and then as she noticed Sophie, she waved for her to come over.

"Sophie!" they hugged, "why are you so late?" she gave a concerned look.

"I'm so sorry Lettie, I just lost track of the time", Sophie glanced sideways towards the man who was silently watching the interaction.

"Oh my! Where are my manners? Sophie, this is Mr. Howl! He was just complimenting the way I handle the customers" she smiled brightly at him as Sophie glanced worriedly to and from her sister and the man, who was apparently the notorious 'Howl'. It was evident her sister hadn't heard the stories about him.

"A pleasure" he stated as he picked up Sophie's hand, drawing it to his lips and giving it a quick peck. Sophie withdrew her hand, holding her arm close to her chest.

"Likewise" she stated dryly while avoiding eye contact, in her most subtle way possible. It was no wonder he was chasing after Lettie, they were both so beautiful, unlike her.

"Lettie, may I please speak with you privately for a moment?" she pulled her aside, "Don't you know who he is!?" she scolded in a hushed voice.

"Why yes, Sophie! He's a rich gentlemen who lives in Kingsbury! Isn't he handsome?" Lettie gave him a little wave and he returned it with a charming smile. Sophie sighed.

"Lettie I'm worried about who you're associating with, what I mean is, with the likes of him-I just don't think-", her warning was cut short by Lettie when she remembered something.

"Oh! Your package! I almost forgot!" she rushed to the back of the bakery and brought with her a basket filled with biscuits, scones and cakes. Sophie always placed the basket in the centre of her shop for her customers to enjoy.

"Thank you." She regretfully accepted it and dropped the subject of Howl. "I'll be on my way now then, take care Lettie".

Lettie said farewell and they began to part ways when a scream erupted in the west corner of the bakery, along with the clatter of a chair. A young lady lay sprawled across the ground; her hat had fallen from her head and lay beside her. Her friend was crying out, glancing around at the customers asking for their help. Sophie glanced around hurriedly looking for someone who could assist them, when she saw no one else she ran to the lady's side.

"What happened?" Sophie demanded.

"She-she just collapsed! I don't know what to do! Please, help her!" she begged. Sophie nodded and opened her bag. Her hands brushed against different vials of potions, hesitating between two of them. She swallowed the lump in her throat and clasped one of the vials, praying she had chosen the right one as she poured it into the young lady's mouth.

The bakery went silent; Sophie's hands shook uncontrollably as she willed the woman to be alright.


	2. A Deceitful Negotiation

**Hii! This chapter was hard because Howl isn't the one in a position of power, unlike the movie, so I'm trying my best to keep him in character. There's lots of dialogue in this chapter which was good for me to practice. Feel free to tell me what you liked and how to improve!** **Hope you like xx**

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The young lady's eyes fluttered open and Sophie let out a sigh of relief. Noise arose once again as the crowd began to murmur. Sophie helped the woman up off the floor and carefully sat her back down onto her chair, asking if she was alright. The poor thing looked extremely confused as to what just transpired and was blushing due to the multiple pairs of eyes that now watched her.

"Give her some space, ladies, gentlemen", Lettie referred to all the customers who reluctantly turned back to their own tables. Lettie handed the young woman a glass of water and asked about her well being, "You fainted. You really must take better care of yourself!" she warned.

Sophie, now seeing the situation was under control, kissed Lettie farewell on the cheek and slipped out of the bakery. She didn't notice Howl's unwavering stare, and the smile that formed across his lips. As she walked back the way she came through the alleyways, Sophie prayed that nothing else out of the ordinary would happen. That had been enough excitement for one day. The tapping of her boots on the path was now paired with the clunk of another set of feet. She glanced behind her and was mortified to see Howl rushing after her _._ Why was he following her?! Sophie could have died with worry.

She quickly turned away and was about to quicken her pace when he called out to her, "Sophie!", she stopped and he reached her, "It's Sophie, right?", he smiled and Sophie turned around to face him.

"Y-yes, that's me. Can I help you?" she gingerly asked, as she found the man quite intimidating.

"Actually, I believe you can. I saw what happened in there", he stated, "You're a witch, aren't you?" he accused.

Sophie's anxiety increased, "I… I am" she avoided eye contact.

"That's great!" he beamed, a smile spreading across his face, "Then you can break my curse!" he assumed.

"Curse?" Sophie was surprised.

"I seem to have gotten myself into a bit of trouble. A nasty witch placed a curse on me and now I can't use my magic" he gave a forced smile.

Sophie's eyes widened, "You're a wizard?" she wondered and he nodded, "What is it that you did-"

"To anger the witch?" he finished for her, "I rejected her advances" he grimaced as he reflected on it. He remembered what she had told him:

 _Dear, dear Howl, your heart is truly bitter. You care more for superficial beauty than for one's character, and for that you will suffer. I'm taking from you the thing you value most, your magic._

Sophie brought him out of his reflection, "I see now. Only another witch can counter a witch's spell, that's why you need my help" she realised.

"There must be a potion you can make me. Please, I'll give you anything, money, jewels, dresses, you name your price. I'm extremely influential, what is it you would like?"

Sophie contemplated his offer. Her shop that was once her parents' was slowly running out of business, she was lucky to have two customers a day. At this rate, she was bound to have to close the shop down and find another form of work. Sophie couldn't stand the idea, she loved running the shop and creating all kinds of potions; it made her feel connected to her parents, and best of all, it made her feel important.

Howl noticed that Sophie was deep in thought, "Ah, so there is something" he prodded.

"It's my shop. It's going out of business" she whispered gravely.

Howl was surprised at her honorable request, "The war has left tough times for many people. I can help you, if, you can lift my curse", he bargained.

Sophie froze. She knew she couldn't do that. A curse that involves magic being stripped from someone by a witch with ill intent, can only be reversed by a witch who holds love in her heart towards the same individual. She didn't love this man. She didn't really like him at all, really. Yet, if she didn't help him, she knew the fate of her shop. If she were to refuse him, she would have no chance of saving her business. She had to do _something_. She went to agree to his terms but hesitated for a moment. Making a deal with _the_ Howl? Ludicrous! Absolutely, a terrible idea, Sophie! Yet she found herself agreeing to help him despite her reasoning not to.

"Alright. It is a deal then" she held out her hand.

Howl shook it eagerly, "Excellent! Let's get started then, shall we?" he suggested, eager to have his magic restored.

Sophie had to think fast. She had to make Howl believe that she could cure him, otherwise he will never save her shop from its ultimate end.

She needed something that could buy her some time…"I need a specific herb for the potion. It can't be found here, it resides solely in Kingsbury" she blurted out on the spot, scolding herself for lying.

"We better start moving then" he grabbed her hand and started walking in the direction she had been headed.

"We?" she questioned, shocked at his forwardness.

"I'll be accompanying you until my curse is broken, lead the way", he declared and Sophie walked beside him silently as they backtracked her steps from earlier until they reached her little potion shop.

Sophie unlocked the door and flipped the sign back to ' _OPEN'_. She went over to her big black pot that sat on the fireplace. While she busied herself, Howl simply turned about the room, inspecting this and that. Sophie picked up her ladle and scooped the liquid from her pot, filling a vial with it and then tightly closing the vial with a cork. She noticed Howl watching and when she caught his eye he raised his brows in questioning.

"It's a beauty potion" she informed him just before the jingle of the bell on the door echoed through the shop and Sophie looked up to see a customer that had visited 3 days prior. She was a young woman of a similar age that had requested a beauty potion. Sophie found it difficult to understand why she would want such a potion, the girl was already pretty. As her customer and Sophie exchanged the vial and the payment between one another, Sophie couldn't help but feel that she would be better off with a potion like that.

"Now why would a beautiful woman such as yourself need a silly little thing like that?" Howl approached the customer and kissed her hand just as he had done with Sophie earlier. The girl blushed.

Sophie was insulted. Was he saying her work was silly? And does he just go around from lady to lady, kissing their hands? She couldn't believe she was stuck with this womanizer, a dangerous one, for that matter.

What had she gotten herself into?


	3. A Guilty Conscience

**_Hope you like this chapter, I'm keeping them short and sweet ^-^ Special thanks to jack malvine, james proper, donty one and rueben for encouraging me! xx_**

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 _"Sophie"_ she heard a voice call out to her. She ignored it and went back to watching her father create his latest potion. Sophie thought this one was a masterpiece, it was an antidote for general poisons.

 _"Sophie"_ , there it was again. _Where was it coming from?_ She got up from the workbench and followed the voice outside the shop; where there stood a handsome young blonde boy at the bottom of the steps.

She heard him speak, _"Sophie, wake up"_ , yet the voice was uncharacteristically like a little boys-it was a soft yet deep voice that called her out from her slumber. Sophie opened her eyes slowly.

Howl was standing just outside the car, shaking her gently to wake her.

"Come on in, were here", he held out his hand to help her out of the car. Sophie sat up and stepped out of the car, stumbling when she stood because she was still half-asleep. Howl's strong hands held her in place, preventing her from falling. Sophie looked up at him in surprise, noticing their closeness and blushing slightly. Wait. _Why was she acting this way towards such a shady man? Get some sense Sophie_! Now she was fully awake.

Howl just smiled, "let's go", he carried her bag as they walked to the door of his home in Kingsbury. The journey had been tiring for Sophie, as it was rare for her to travel. Sophie looked down the street, noticing that it was evening now. Sophie heard Howl knock on the door, and wondered why he would knock on the door to his own home when a young boy with messy brown hair opened it.

"Master Howl!" the young boy exclaimed with joy as he hugged him around the waist. Sophie was utterly surprised that Howl accepted it wholeheartedly. The boy pulled away.

"Who's the lady?" the young boy asked, looking Sophie up and down curiously, as if he were suspicious of her.

"Markl, this is Sophie, Sophie, this is Markl", he gestured between the two of them.

"It's a pleasure", Sophie held out her hand to shake Markl's but he just turned away and retreated to his room. Sophie was a little shocked, but Howl told her not to mind him. As she stepped inside Sophie wondered what their relationship was, perhaps Markl was…Howl's son?

Sophie's train of thought shifted when she took in the features of the house. She looked around in wonder as she took in the dated books that lay sprawled about the main room, and the bookshelf covering the whole wall, extending from the floor and stretching up to the roof. On the opposite end of the room stood an exquisite fireplace. Candelabras' lined the dining table. A quill and ink waited patiently to be used on an antique desk.

Howl didn't seem surprised at Sophie's reaction to the awe-inspiring room. He chuckled and Sophie snapped her head to face him, a little embarrassed. He led her to her temporary bedroom.

Once Sophie had settled in she made a late dinner of bread and cheese (the only food residing in the house). Markl, Howl and Sophie all ate together at the dining table, yet Markl was avoiding eye contact with Sophie, solely asking Howl questions about his journey. Sophie was a little unnerved at why he would act this way towards a stranger. _Had she done something to offend him? Impossible! She had only just arrived._ Sophie decided to let it go for now, and once they finished dinner and cleaned up, she sat on the couch in front of the fireplace as Howl was busied himself with lighting it. With Howl's quill and ink she began to write a list of the 'items she requires' in order to counter the spell.

After a while Howl joined her, crossing his legs and opening a book that he rested on his lap. He read quietly as she compiled her list. Sophie felt a bit pressured to write something that looked genuine quickly, with him sitting right beside her. This is what she had so far:

 _Ingredients:_

 _A String of Pearls,_

 _Spider Silk,_

 _Sea Salt,_

 _Sugar,_

 _Ambrosia Leaves_

"Those are the things we need to break my curse?" Howl inquired, leaning close to Sophie to read her handwriting. Sophie tried to ignore his invasion of her personal space.

"Yes, this is what we'll be needing" she fibbed, knowing that this list would buy her some well needed time.

"Very well, we'll set out to acquire them tomorrow!" Howl's excitement shone through in his tone of voice but he appeared to be rather nonchalant.

He turned to her, "You really are great Sophie, you already know how to make the spell" he unintentionally stabbed Sophie in the heart with a pang on guilt as he went back to his book of spells and magic fables.

Sophie internally shook her head, she didn't have to feel bad about lying to him. She was going to find a way. Besides, she was sure he had deceived many people in his lifetime. Sophie let a yawn escape from her mouth and rested her head on the couch. All this chaos was draining for her, a girl who generally lived a simple, honest life. The fires warmth made her feel safe and sleepy. Her eyes drooped and she forced them open. Yet again they drooped against her will, but she didn't bother resisting anymore, allowing herself to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Howl was abruptly pulled out from his immersion in his book when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned his head in surprise, only to find Sophie's resting against him. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He noticed a strand of hair that had fallen out of her braid and now rested across her face, as she softly breathed in and out. Howl reached out towards her, tucking her hair behind her ear gently.

Howl shifted his attention back to the book and read well into the night, too enthralled to move, in addition to not wanting to wake Sophie. Without realising it he had fallen asleep next to Sophie, his head now resting on her own.


	4. A Relaxing Trip

**I don't even have an excuse for why this chapter took so long. Enjoy!**

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*Ahem!* Markl 'cleared his throat' in an attempt to wake the sleeping beauty, and the random woman named Sophie.

Sophie opened her eyes only to feel a weight on her head. She was startled, so she hastily yanked her head out from under Howl's. She quickly turned to him in horror, only to see him jolt awake due to his head falling. He lifted his head and looked up at Sophie with bleary eyes. Sophie tried to contain her blush and he rubbed his eyes halfheartedly, as if his arms were extremely heavy. He then blinked a few times before he could see clearly, and a frown formed on his brow.

Markl was prepared for this. He was ready to calm him, before he started to call upon the spirits of darkness or something. He handed Howl a cup of hot tea, and begrudgingly, one to Sophie too. Both of them gladly accepted. For Sophie, it took her mind off of the compromising position she had been in. For Howl, it helped him to wake up. Markl then handed Howl a hand mirror, which Howl held up before him and began to fix his hair.

"Ahh, that's better", Howl stated, taking another sip of his tea, "So, what's our first order of business?" he looked at Sophie expectantly.

"Well, I suppose we should begin to gather the ingredients for the potion..?" she questioned.

"Great! What's the first item we require?" he began to get excited.

"I need… (Sophie tried to remember what she had written on her list)…Ambrosia leaves and spider silk", she hoped he didn't notice her lapse of certainty.

"Hmm", he placed his hand to his chin as he thought, then his eyes lit up, "I know just the place. But first, breakfast", he smiled at Sophie and then to Markl.

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"Here it is!" Howl gestured to the land before them, which comprised of green fields as far as the eye could see. Flowers scattered about, and most importantly, Ambrosia trees lined the fields.

"Oh my, how beautiful!" Sophie exclaimed, as she let the sun and fresh air soak into her skin. Sophie strolled over to the nearest tree and carefully broke off a branch, placing it in her straw basket. She wandered over to the trees that had lots of spider webs, and wrapped it around a stick before adding it to her basket also. She looked back to find Howl lying flat on his back on the green field, eyes closed in peaceful rest. His hands lay under his head as a substitute pillow. The wind ruffled his blonde hair. The tranquility of the scene compelled Sophie to do the same. She approached him, and lent forward in curiosity, blocking the sunlight that was resting on his face. Howl opened his eyes and gave Sophie a sly smile, as if he knew that she wanted to join him. She couldn't help but smile in return, and Howl was taken aback by her innocent beauty, as the sunlight illuminated her head like a halo.

He cleared his throat, "We've come all this way, might as well enjoy it", he withdrew a hand from under his head and patted the grass beside him.

Sophie hesitated a moment before carefully lying down on her back on the soft grass. She folded her hands across her abdomen stiffly, finding it difficult to relax in this situation. She looked up at the clouds, watching them slowly float across the sky as their movement calmed her. Sophie couldn't help but feel as if being here was really nice. To be somewhere different, isolated from the chaos of everyday life.

As if Howl had read her mind, he interrupted the silence, "It's nice here", he stated. Sophie turned to look at him, he was staring straight up at the sky.

Sophie didn't really know how to respond, but then he continued, "I want to escape like this all the time", Sophie noticed his tired smile, "It feels so freeing".

"I feel the same way", Sophie informed him without thinking.

He turned to her so that they were looking at each other, as they looked into each other's eyes, both parties felt as if there was some sort of understanding between them. Howl smiled and turned away, closing his eyes once again. Sophie did the same, and felt herself drifting off as she considered the notion that Howl wasn't actually as bad as people had told her.

 _Sophie_

 _Sophie, come here. Look at this._

 _Sophie walked over to the bench of her parents' workshop._

 _Ah, there you are, my little girl._

 _Her father lifted her up off the floor and sat her on his lap. Look. Here. He pointed at a bubbling mixture._

 _Amazing, isn't it?_

 _Sophie could hear the excitement in her father's voice, and gazed in wonder at the potion. She heard the shops bell ring, and her father put her down. She watched as he moved further away from her, panic rose within her, as she tried to call out to him._

 _No! Don't go! You can't go!_

 _She didn't know why but she knew something bad would happen, yet no voice escaped her lips. She reached out to try to grab him._

 _She watched in horror as her father open the door, and as the sunlight blared in, he faded._

"No!" Sophie jolted awake, tossing her head from side to side. She sat up abruptly, holding a clenched hand to her chest as she calmed herself, returning her breathing to its regular pattern. She breathed out a sigh, and looked up, only to find an unexpected guest. A small brown and white dog jumped on and off of her lap, before running around in circles. Sophie laughed at his antics. Where had it come from?

The dog approached Howl who was peacefully sleeping and began to lick his face repeatedly, on the lips and cheek. The unsuspecting Howl gave a small smile and began to make a kiss face. Sophie was shocked and a little disgusted at his reaction. She could only imagine what he was dreaming about. With a huff, Sophie pulled the dog away from him and shook Howl's shoulder to wake him up. He awoke and sat up, spotting the dog and feeling the moisture on his face. Sophie saw the realization in his eyes as he aggressively wiped his face.

"Ugh! Sophie! How could you let it do that to my face!?" he turned to her in embarrassed outrage.

"Well I stopped him, didn't I?" she crossed her arms in dismay, "I think he's a stray, the poor thing", she told Howl in a somber tone, noticing that the dog seemed old and was skinny.

Howl noticed her sad tone, and looked at the dog. He sighed.

"I guess, we'll have to take him home then", he instantly heard Sophie gasp with joy.

"You'll really keep him?" she eagerly questioned his heroism.

"I guess I have no choice, Markl and yourself can look after him" he stated with a shrug, but Sophie spotted the smile in his eyes when he watched the dog run around in circles in joy, as if it knew he was going with them. Sophie giggled, as Howl stood up abruptly.

"Time to go", he held out a hand to help her up.

As they headed back side by side, with Sophie carrying the dog in her arms, Howl added, "You know you're going to have to name it" he glanced down the dog.

"Hmm" Sophie was deep in thought, "How about 'Heen'?", she suggested.

"That's perfect", Howl encouraged as they walked back the rest of the way in comfortable silence.


	5. A Tender Moment

**Hey! New chapter, woo! Tell me if you like it or how i can improve xx Sorry for OOC Howl haha ^_^**

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Sophie walked with a bowed head, watching the stones on the path pass by as she took step after step. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier:

When Howl and Sophie had arrived home yesterday, Markl was ecstatic to meet Heen. He grinned from ear to ear and embraced the dog in hug, laughing while Heen licked his cheek. His reaction made Sophie feel as if Markl really was just a child, despite his cold demeanour. When Sophie had asked him if he liked dogs, Markl silently turned away from her with a frown.

She tried to fix their tense relationship, "Markl, please talk to me, I want us to be friends", she pleaded, hopeful that he would want the same thing. Sophie didn't expect his response.

"Why?!" Markl exclaimed in annoyance-paused-then whispered, "You're just going to leave anyway", before turning abruptly and retreating to his room.

Sophie felt terrible. She was so lost in her thoughts of last night that she walked down the street in a daze-like state. Sophie suddenly collided with something due to her lack of attention to where she was going.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Sophie looked up only to gasp when she took in what she had walked into. It was an extremely tall man, with a mean looking face.

The man swung his arm towards Sophie, "Watch it you little-", but he was interrupted by Howl grabbing his hand and stepping in between them.

Howl glared at the man, "You might want to reconsider that move", and threw the man's hand aside before picking up Sophie's own and leading her away. The two of them briskly walked away from the man and Sophie held on tightly to Howl's hand, frightened of what would of happened had he not been there to help her. Once they reached a quiet place he let her hand go and turned around to face her. His face said it all. He was annoyed at Sophie for being careless.

"I-I'm sorry, I just couldn't stop thinking about Markl. Would you tell me why he said that?" she asked earnestly.

Howl pondered in thought before answering her question, "He doesn't trust easily. His mother abandoned him when he was young, once his wizard powers had activated", Sophie saw Howl's face tense in anger, "She didn't want to have a wizard son, so she tossed him aside as if he were garbage. Now he finds it difficult to trust people, specifically women", he frowned grimly.

"That's awful", Sophie eyes welled up.

"Maybe you can show him that not everyone is like that", he gave her a smile in which she returned with a newfound determination to become close to Markl.

"He seems to like you a great deal", Sophie stated more like a question.

"That's because I took him in soon after, he's been my apprentice ever since", he gave her a fond smile before gesturing with his head that they should continue on their way. The two of them headed the rest of the way towards Porthaven's morning markets.

They arrived at the bustling scene. Sophie watched as people were bartering prices, rushing to and fro, and carrying more than they could handle. She pulled out her list of things she needed for tonight's dinner.

"Hmm, fish, and potatoes…" she mumbled to herself as she wandered down the lane filled with food stalls, "Ah", she stopped in her tracks to peer into a barrel filled with white sugar. It was an ingredient she 'needed' for the spell.

"One bag of sugar, please", she asked the owner, who readied a bag for her. They exchanged currency and product. Sophie then continued to purchase the food she needed.

Once Sophie had everything she needed she headed to the edge of the harbour, where Howl had told her to meet him when she was finished with the shopping. As she drew near she saw Howl leaning against the wooden poles that line the boardwalk. He was staring into the distance, lost in the deep blue of the ocean. Sophie reached him and had to get his attention.

"Howl, I've got everything we need", she watched him come back to the present moment.

He turned to her, "Ah, there you are, Milady", he pulled out a beautifully blooming purple flower. Sophie reached out to accept it. She inspected it, admiring its vibrant color. She couldn't believe someone would buy a flower just for her.

"Thank you", she beamed.

"There's something else", he said eagerly before showing her a jar filled with water that he had been holding.

"It's sea salt! Ha-ha! Isn't this fantastic, were so close I can taste it!" he put an arm around Sophie while he said this and shook her about excitedly.

"Y-yes, it is…great", she gave a faltering smile.

"Let's be on our way", with that the two of them began to head home. While they did so, she couldn't help but feel nervous. The sugar and sea salt meant she was one step closer to having to do the spell. She needed to figure out what to do. Maybe there was a secret to countering Howl's spell in her mother's book of potions. In any case, she wondered what Howl's reaction would be if he found out that she had no clue what she was doing.

They were almost home when suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a man who came barreling towards Howl.

"You!" he bellowed, "You did this to me!" he charged toward Howl. Before Howl could defend himself, the man swung a punch at him. Howl had been hit right in the cheek. Sophie shrieked, and backed away until her she met the brick wall behind her.

Howl's eyes narrowed, he clenched his fists. This was the first time Sophie had seen Howl angry, and she watched in terror.

"You're going to regret tainting this face", Howl spat as he dodged another swing and jumped forward to deal his own.

The man fell to the ground and Howl turned to grab Sophie and ran.

Howl pulled her along as they ran as fast as they could. Sophie could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She kept glancing backwards behind her, scared that he was still near.

When Howl knew they were clear, he stopped running to catch his breath, "What-", he huffed, "What is it with the townspeople today?"

Once he'd recovered his breath, he heard soft sniffles coming from behind him. He turned around to find Sophie crying, her shoulders trembling. Howl's eyes widened. Sophie still held his hand, squeezing it tight. Howl embraced Sophie, holding her to his chest and patting her head softly.

"Shhh, it's alright", he reassured her. Sophie wasn't used to that kind of violence and excitement, she had been scared.

"W-why did he do that?!" she yelled, tears falling uncontrollably. Howl hushed her, rhythmically patting her head as he calmed her.

"I'm sorry. He's a bad man. He's done many awful things to people. He's mad at me for tricking him into making a deal with me. I used my magic to give him what he desired, when it was in fact, just a rouse to expose him. I'm sorry you got caught up in this" he held her tight. Sophie pulled away to look up at him. His cheek was red and she could tell it was sore. She reached out and gently touched it, causing Howl to wince slightly.

"We've got to get you home, quickly", she tugged on his arm and the two of them rushed home.


End file.
